GUNS N' ROSES: New Single Out
Guns N' Roses have finally released their new single -- two days after it was original promised.
The combo of "Nothin'" and "Atlas" was announced as coming out on December 2nd when the group revealed its 2026 tour, but fans were left wondering what happened when Tuesday came and went without the tracks. “Nothin'” and “Atlas” both date back to the Chinese Democracy sessions but have been reworked by the current lineup with Slash and Duff McKagan. This release had been rumored for months after short clips of both songs leaked online over the summer.
WATCH BOTH VIDEOS AT THE BOTTOM
Ozzy Osbourne Posthumously Receives Birmingham's Prestigious Lord Mayor's Award
Ozzy Osbourne was posthumously honored in Birmingham this week.On what would've been the rocker's 77th birthday, Sharon and Kelly Osbourne accepted the Lord Mayor's Award on his behalf from Councillor Ken Wood. The honor is given to individuals for "outstanding achievement or exceptional service to the City and people of Birmingham." In addition to the Lord Mayor's Award, Sharon and Kelly were given a Book of Condolences with tributes from Birmingham citizens following Ozzy's death in July.
KISS: D.C. Rock City
Original KISS members Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss are in Washington, D.C. to receive the Kennedy Center Honors from President Trump on Saturday, followed by a ceremony on Sunday at the Kennedy Center. When it was announced in August that they would be honored alongside country singer George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, actor Sylvester Stallone, and actor and singer Michael Crawford, each of the four original members issued statements.
Gene Simmons: "KISS is the embodiment of the American dream. We are deeply honored to receive the Kennedy Center Honor."
Paul Stanley: "From our earliest days, KISS has embodied the American ideal that all things are possible and that hard work pays off. The prestige of the Kennedy Center Honors cannot be overstated and I accept this on behalf of the long legacy of KISS and all of the band members who helped create our iconic band."
Peter Criss: "I feel so blessed. This is the greatest honor of our career."
The late Ace Frehley: "Coming from my humble beginnings growing up in The Bronx, New York, this honor is a dream come true that I never thought would materialize. All I can say is it’s beyond my wildest dreams, and I am very honored and grateful to be included with the rest of the honorees.”
Sadly, it will be with heavy hearts that they accept the honor following the sudden death of Frehley in October due to a fall in his New Jersey home. But as Simmons said last month on stage at the Love Ride motorcycle charity event in Glendale, California, Frehley will be there.
And the Kennedy Center also announced that it will be "paying tribute to Ace, his work, and his legacy" at the ceremony.
The Kennedy Center has a policy that its honorees must be living, but Frehley will become the third person honored posthumously following Glenn Frey of the Eagles and Phil Lesh of the
Grateful Dead, who both passed after the announcement of their bands being honored was made. The Eagles were originally scheduled to be honored in December 2015, but with Frey being in the hospital it was pushed back a year. Frey died in January 2016, but the Kennedy Center included him when they were honored that December. Phil Lesh he was scheduled to attend the ceremony last December, but he died six weeks before on October 25th. Like Frey, he was also honored, although Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995, was not.
KISS is only the seventh group to receive a Kennedy Center Honor, and with the Grateful Dead being honored last year, this year's ceremony marks the first time that two groups have been honored in back-to-back years. While the list of performers paying tribute to each of the honorees is typically kept under wraps, we do know that Garth Brooks will perform "Shout It Out Loud." The ceremony will air on December 23rd on CBS
LED ZEPPELIN: Clothes, Composing & Trademarking
Clothes that previously belonged to the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham sold for over $53,000 at auction last month in the UK. Among the items were a brown leather jacket for $20,400; a blue velvet suit sold for just over five-grand; a white Western-style shirt went for $16,300; a grey and black shirt sold for $6,200; while a black shirt brought in $5,600. The items belonged to Bonham's brother-in-law Allan Weaver.
The soundtrack John Paul Jones was working on for the independent film And Anne may just end up on the shelf as production on the movie has ceased. And in Robert Plant news, he will tour South America with Saving Grace in May. The dates so far are the 10th in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the 19th in Porto Alegre, Brazil; and the 21st in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Plant has also trademarked his feather symbol from Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. He's since used it on merchandise and on his website.
Yesterday (Thursday) marked the 45th anniversary of Led Zeppelin announcing their break-up. On December 4th, 1980, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones announced in a press release that they decided not to continue as Led Zeppelin in the wake of the death of drummer John Bonham just over two months earlier -- September 25th.
PAUL RODGERS: Opens Up About Missing Rock Hall Induction
Paul Rodgers has explained exactly why his doctors didn't want him to fly from his home in Canada to Los Angeles last month when Bad Company were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Having suffered 13 strokes since 2016 -- two of them major -- he tells Rolling Stone Brasil, "About a week prior to leaving for rehearsals...my blood pressure was very high and I started to have chest pains and heart palpitations. I saw my doctor, who absolutely forbid me to get on a plane. He recommended that I stay home, rest and remain calm, and I feel that I dodged a bullet by doing that. I am in the Zen phase of my life and enjoy being immersed in a peaceful and calm life. I can sing again and play daily to a crowd of one... "Sometimes reality hits hard. I would like to perform with [Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke] again at some point. I thought that everyone who performed -- Simon, Bryan Adams, Chris Robinson, Nancy Wilson, Joe Perry [and others] did not miss a beat. "I was grateful that the Rock Hall allowed me to record my speech. I was told that they do not usually allow that... Our friend Mick Fleetwood did a fine job inducting the band and I was very comfortable watching from home in Canada."
Rodgers watched the ceremony at his sister-in-law's house, and just after it ended he E-mailed his thoughts, saying, "Well fans, you did it. We are officially in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. My heart is overflowing right now... Simon's speech was soul felt. I loved that he thanked and acknowledged [my wife] Cynthia, the reason my heart still beats. "To quote Cyndi Lauper (who was also inducted), 'Remember we are a community of light, even in the darkness.' I thought that was pretty profound and such a beautiful message." He also talked about the video tribute to the band, saying, "I was surprised by the tributes from Brian May, Slash and Joe Elliott -- very deep and touching. I will be busy tomorrow sending out E-mails of thanks for sure. It was the first time that I watched the Induction and I must say there were so many varied and gifted musicians." The 2025 Induction Ceremony is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu. ABC will air a condensed version on January 1st.
Sam Mendes' 4-Film 'Beatles' Epic Adds David Morrissey, James Norton, Adam Pally and More in Key Roles
A new round of cast members has been announced for Sam Mendes’ upcoming films about The Beatles, The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event. The latest additions include David Morrissey as Paul McCartney’s father, Leanne Best as John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi, and other actors in various roles within The Beatles’ entourage. The films are set to be released in April 2028 and will feature different perspectives from each band member. Additional casting for key roles like Cynthia Lennon and Ravi Shankar will be announced soon.
Grateful Dead Extends Guinness Record For Most Top 40 Albums
The Grateful Dead has distanced themselves from the rest of the pack in one category in the Guinness Book of World Records. Last year, the band set the new record with their 59th Top 40 album on the Billboard charts. Since then, they've had several more albums reach the Top 40. With the No. 25 debut of "Dave's Picks Vol. 56: Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 3/20/81 & 3/21/81" last month, that total has been extended to 66 albums reaching the Top 40 of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The Top 5 artists who have scored the most Top 40 albums in history:
1. The Grateful Dead - 66
2,3 (tie) Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra - 58
4. Barbara Streisand - 54
5. Bob Dylan - 51
Evanescence Announce World Tour
Evanescene are announcing a 2026 World Tour. The U.S. date begins on June 11th in West Palm Beach. They play more U.S. shows before hitting the U.K., France, Denmark, Spain. The last U.S. date is on October 26th in Morrison, Colorado. Spiritbox and Nova Twins will open on the North American leg. Every ticket sold will support organizations that provide humanitarian aid and medical relief to those in need around the world. Tickets go on sale today.
NINE INCH NAILS: Guitarist Makes Video Game and Soundtrack
Longtime Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck has released a new video game -- and a soundtrack for it. It's called Sleep Awake and Finck teamed up with Cory Davis to create the first-person psychological horror game. It's set in the last known city of Earth and humans are hunted by "The HUSH," which makes people disappear in their sleep. The game description says, “Katja must navigate depraved death cults, otherworldly forces, and the ever-present horror of The HUSH, to save herself and those who rely upon her,” explains the game’s description." Sleep Awake is out now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Finck's 25 track score for the game is out too at all streaming services.
IN OTHER NEWS
Any hope of renaming England’s Birmingham Airport in honor of Ozzy Osbourne has been dismissed by the airport's CEO, Nick Barton. He tells BBC Radio WM, "Birmingham, amazingly, has an extraordinary list of fantastically influential people, going from historic people like Charles Darwin, as well as Robert Plant and Sir Lenny Henry, but the answer is no. The airport name is so important for our future development of what we've got." Instead, there are plans to install a mural in Ozzy’s honor.
The BBC has signed on to air Hamburg Days, a six-part drama series focusing on The Beatles’ early days in the German city. Still in development, it’s based on the autobiography by their friend, bassist and artist Klaus Voormann who will serve as a consultant. And in other Beatles film news, The Walking Dead’s David Morrissey will portray Paul McCartney’s father Jim in director Sam Mendes’s four films about The Beatles that will open in theaters in April 2028.
The Grateful Dead have extended their Guinness World Records title for the most Top 40 albums charted on the Billboard 200 to 66.
Yes have released a remastered single edit of “The Remembering (High the Memory)” from the Super Deluxe Edition of Tales from Topographic Oceans, which will be out on February 6th. You find the track on YouTube.